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Orange County Appoints Three Members to College's Board of Trustees

Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus announced Jthree appointments to the SUNY Orange Board of Trustees on Friday.

The new members are Florence Hannes, Ralph Martucci, and Thomas Weddell.

“SUNY Orange is an integral part of the fabric of our community and the first choice of higher education for thousands of Orange residents,” Neuhaus said. “The SUNY Orange Board of Trustees has always guided this institution in a positive direction and I know that our new trustees will continue the tradition of excellence that we have all come to expect from our college.”

Hannes, a Salisbury Mills resident, taught in SUNY Orange’s Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program for 40 years until her retirement this week. She was a Professor and the Chairperson of SUNY Orange’s OTA program since 2001. Hannes has served on numerous advisory boards and with many community organizations, including the SUNY Orange BRIDGES Advisory Board, the New York State Regents Board for Occupational Therapy, the Orange County Office for the Aging and the Orange County Mental Health Association.

Weddell is a managing partner with RBT CPAs and has been with the firm for 40 years. His industry experience includes, but is not limited to, transportation, manufacturing, non-profit, and wholesale, retail, and distribution. Weddell’s various community affiliations include serving as a founding member of the Orange County Community Foundation.

He has also worked on the Board of Directors of Mid-Hudson Pattern for Progress and is currently serving on the board of directors for The Newburgh Armory Unity Center and the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.

Martucci, a Town of Wawayanda resident, is a Finance Executive with more than 35 years of experience in financial management, operations and business development. He is currently the Director of Business Development for M&R Energy Resources Corp. in New Windsor. Martucci was previously Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Alteva Inc., formerly WVT Communications. Prior to joining Alteva, Martucci was Director of Corporate Business Operations for the Dow Jones Local Media Group.

Martucci has previously served on the Board of Directors of the SUNY Orange Foundation, including a 10-year stint as Chairman. He was recently appointed Director Emeritus of the SUNY Orange Foundation, in recognition of his longtime service to the affiliated organization that accepts donations on behalf of the College. Martucci has served on the Board of Directors of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce since 1992 and currently serves as the Immediate Past Chair.

“As we introduce three new members to the important and beneficial work of the Orange County Community College Board of Trustees, it is important to acknowledge our outgoing Trustees Gert Mokotoff, Joan Wolfe and Bob Krahulik for their 45 combined years of valuable service to the Board and the College,” said Helen G. Ullrich, Board of Trustees chair. “I expect Ralph, Tom, and Flo will demonstrate the same dedication and commitment to the Board, College, students, staff and community, that our wonderful outgoing Trustees have.”

The SUNY Orange Board of Trustees is comprised of 10 members. County Executive Neuhaus and Governor Andrew Cuomo appoint five and four members, respectively while the student trustee is selected from the student body. The SUNY Orange Board of Trustees typically meets on the third Wednesday of each month throughout the year, except for its summer retreat in June. The Board does not meet in July and August.

Full terms for SUNY Orange Trustees are typically seven years. Weddell will be appointed to a full term, to expire on June 30, 2025, while the terms of Martucci and Hannes will expire on June 30, 2021.

SUNY Orange was founded in 1950 as the first county-sponsored community college in the State University of New York system and was the first two-year college in the nation to offer the associate degree nursing program and studies in electron microscopy. More than 420,000 people have enrolled in a wide range of credit and non-credit classes at the Middletown campus, the Newburgh Campus and satellite locations across Orange County through the years.

For more information, contact Justin Rodriguez, Assistant to the County Executive for Communications and Media Relations at 845.291.3255 or jrodriguez@orangecountygov.com